Ottawa, March 2, 2012 — Canada continued to welcome a high number of immigrants in 2011, according to preliminary data released by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) today.
Canada welcomed 248,660 permanent residents in 2011, well within the Government’s planning range of 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents for the year and consistent with the average of about a quarter of a million immigrants admitted to Canada annually since 2006 – the highest sustained level of immigration in Canadian history.
“Canada’s per-capita immigration rate remains one of the highest in the world,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “Immigration has always been a sustaining feature of Canada’s history and continues to play an important role in building our country.”
In 2011, Canada welcomed 156,077 economic immigrants and 56,419 family class immigrants.